Sure, intelligence is a collection of cognitive abilities, but a unifying construct called intelligence that can be measured and quantified must exist, right? Psychologists have developed intelligence[more…]

How does psychology define memory? Think of memory as a bank. Think about your checking account and your savings account. Each of these accounts does something a little different with your money because[more…]

Psychology is interested in the pressure a group places on their individual members. Sometimes groups have very clear and explicit rules that keep people in line; in other cases, the rules or pressures[more…]

Psychology recognizes the power of love and how good to be loved and to love someone else. There is even a psychological analysis of it. Elaine Hatfield and Richard Rapson, psychologists at the University[more…]

Psychologist Freud’s model of sexual development proposes a series of stages in which people grow and mature. The pleasure sought by your inborn instincts is focused on sexual desire and gratification,[more…]

Personal identity consists of the things that make you stand out in a crowd — for example your massive biceps and athletic prowess. According to psychologist Buss, the personal identity is comprised of[more…]

Psychologist Erikson viewed personality as a product of social interactions and the choices a person makes in life. He presented the ego in development as personal identity, shaped and molded by an individual’s[more…]

In psychology a family consists of at least two people related by blood, marriage, or adoption. It seems like families have changed quite a bit over the last 20 years, including increasing numbers of single-parent[more…]

A favorite topic among social psychologists is altruism,having concern for and helping other people without asking for anything in return. Maybe these psychologists study altruism with such zeal because[more…]

Sadness is a human emotion felt during experiences of loss. Psychologists define depression as an extreme form of sadness that includes specific symptoms. Being dumped by a boyfriend or a girlfriend at[more…]

People solve problems all day long and make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions every day. In fact, psychology calls this mental exhaustion decision fatigue — simply having too many problems and[more…]

The use of medications in the treatment of psychological disorders (such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder) gained significant prominence over the last half of the 20th century. Advances in[more…]

An attitude is the value the person places on something, and Social Psychology researchers often refer to that ‘something’ as the attitude object. An attitude is an evaluation, at the simplest level, as[more…]

Not all stereotypes are bad: Social Psychology recognises that some can have value. However, when a stereotype leads to prejudice and discrimination, it’s time to expose its inaccuracy – and say[more…]

So what makes someone attractive? It’s a burning question, and while Social Psychology may not have the answer every time you hear a plaintive cry of ‘What does she see in HIM?’, it can offer some valuable[more…]

No matter how urgently someone insists that they’re an individual, with their own unique way of looking at and experiencing the world, Social Psychology tell us that at a fundamental level, people want[more…]

Social Psychology uses the tools of science to understand why people behave as they do. Whether it’s why they are attracted to some people, but not others, why they are not convinced by an elegant political[more…]